Mah Jongg is not just a game. It has become a part of my life that allows me to entertain my Mah Jongg-playing friends, cook great meals to serve to them and test my mental skills during our game play (which, hopefully, is often).

Tag Archives: mah jongg

We love our game of Mah Jongg but we also love our winnings. And now there is a way to give back some of those winnings to all of those who suffer from the devastating disease of Alzheimer’s. This is a national fundraiser and I am happy to say that Mah Jongg groups all over the country are holding events in June to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. But we need more…won’t you include your group?

Join the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day Fundraiser through playing MahJongg and Mah Jongg for Memories.

Players will be helping fund care, support, and research for the over 5.8 million people in the United States who are living with this disease and other dementias, and the nearly 16 million caregivers.

In the month of June, MahJongg groups across the country will be dedicating their regular play-days to the Alzheimer’s Association by making donations to the cause. Also, other players will be holding more elaborate and larger day-long fundraising events. Some will have lunch and silent auctions, while others will enjoy snacks and donate their day’s winnings. All, however, will combine the fun and challenge of MahJongg with the objective of ending Alzheimer’s, the all-consuming disease that threatens the mental ability of every MahJongg player.

For more information and how to register your club or team. Please contact

Every once in a while a terrific new Mah Jongg product comes along that we had not seen before. Well, it has happened again with this great idea from the team of Dora and Donna at Modern Mahjong – finally…dice that make sense to use for our beloved game! Check this out:Yes! These are Mah Jongg dice! And they can be yours simply by going to Dara and Donna’s website at www.mahjongdice.com OR emailing them at modernmahjong@gmail.com. These wonderful dice come in several different styles and colors and are just a fabulous gift to give to your favorite Mah Jongg player (who might just be YOURSELF!). These special dice will elevate the beauty of your game, whether you play with a new set or an amazing vintage one.

How nice it is to support these two best friends who bring their entrepreneurial spirit to our Mah Jongg community!

I’m thinking about East as the dealer. That’s the title she (or he!) has won by throwing the highest number on the dice. It’s true that she also has won an advantage by becoming East because she starts with 14 tiles when everyone else just has 13. But what else is her role? Although there is no official rule on this – and your table rules may dictate otherwise – I live by the rule that no one should be dealing out the tiles except for East because she is THE DEALER. I am of the school that I don’t want anyone else to touch the tiles until they are all dealt out. Interestingly enough, the wonderful Gladys Grad, the Grand Master of American-Style Mah Jongg Tournaments wrote about this in her Mah Jongg Madness March 2019 newsletter:

Q. In the old days, we thought nothing of exchanging a tile for a Joker from our friends’ racks. Now, every time you go to a game, someone tells you not to touch their tiles; don’t deal them for me; don’t exchange for my Joker; don’t touch my wall, don’t, don’t, don’t. Barbara CA

A. This isn’t something new…it’s been going on for a long time. Bingo players don’t want you to touch their cards or their daubers; domino players don’t want you to straighten their double 6’s; and you wouldn’t think of touching your poker buddies’ cards. It might have something to do with superstition….but there have also been some mistakes when players exchange for a Joker in exposures….like replacing a 1Bam for a Flower, or a West for a North. Please don’t take it personally.

When I teach Mah Jongg I tell the beginning students that no one should ever touch anyone else’s tiles or racks. When you want to exchange a tile for a Joker you extend the tile out to the player with the Joker and politely ask for her Joker. You do not take it off her rack yourself.

Why do I teach this way and why am I so adamant about this rule? As it was explained to me, all of this prevents any hint of cheating. I’m not sure that I think too much about that aspect because I would never play with anyone who is suspected of cheating. I think I am just superstitious about this! So, don’t touch my tiles and I won’t touch yours!

Hi all – I’ve taken a vacation from posting but now I am back with lots and lots of things to tell and show to you! And why not the best for first (instead of for last!)?

Our dear friend with a most brilliant mind, Annelise Heinz, assistant professor of History at the University of Oregon, has given me permission to post this video in which she discusses her current book project Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.

It’s a 28 minute long YouTube video so sit back with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee…or perhaps a cold martini! – and enjoy Annelise as she discusses her passion for our beloved game and shows off a couple of beautiful vintage Mah Jongg sets (a 1920s set she found in an antique store in the historic Chinese community in Locke, California, and a 1960s set with fabulous green Catalin racks).